To help address workforce shortages in the health care sector, Carthage College has opened a School of Health.
The new school will include Carthage College’s nursing and neuroscience programs, as well as planned programs in biomedical sciences and other emerging fields, Carthage announced on Tuesday. While the new school is open now, there will be a grand opening celebration in spring 2026. Carthage is a private college in Kenosha.
The School of Health includes undergraduate majors in allied health science, exercise and sport science, social work, sociology and criminal justice. The school also offers a five-year track to a master’s degree in athletic training. The new school will allow more opportunities for students to conduct medical research.
“We see an extraordinary opportunity for the School of Health to directly impact tens of thousands of people in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois,” Carthage president John Swallow said. “Thanks to our central location and our strong relationships with industry partners, Carthage is ready to dive into the work of thoroughly preparing many more health care professionals, at all levels and in many different fields, who will serve their communities from day one.”
Carthage seeks participation from health care leaders to guide the School of Health’s priorities through meetings, surveys and public health care forums, according to a news release.
Paul Martino, a biology professor who has been a faculty member at Carthage since 2009, has been appointed to serve as the School of Health’s first dean. Martino looks to organize a speaker series and host an annual health care symposium to highlight best practices, according to a news release. He also aims to build clinical and educational partnerships.
“The benefits of creating this School of Health stretch far beyond a new name,” Martino said. “This paves the way for Carthage to build a unified identity as one of the major players meeting the ever-expanding health care needs in the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.”
The college expects the new school will “most visibly assist Carthage in recruitment, illuminating the breadth of opportunities available to students exploring health careers,” according to a news release.
Carthage’s phased renovation and expansion of its Nursing Education Center is also underway. Construction began this summer and will be completed by fall 2026, with some of the classroom and lab spaces opening this fall. Nursing is Carthage’s most popular undergraduate major.
The Nursing Education Center project, which has received $2.6 million in grant and donor funding, will more than quadruple the space from 3,500 to 16,000 square feet. In October, the State Building Commission approved a $1.32 million grant to support the project.
“Carthage has an excellent reputation for cross-disciplinary collaboration, and our team-based approach to health care builds on this tradition,” said Nancy Reese, director of nursing and associate dean for the School of Health. “This sets the stage for the School of Health to become a regional leader in whole-person health education.”
